As cases of winter colds and flu begin to rise, workers and companies are making choices about when to come to work. For companies, too many people out sick can be a problem, but so can having more people get sick from contact with ill employees. For workers, there can be pressure to attend work even while sick or to not use sick days. About 40% of workers do not receive sick days, meaning that they stay home from work at their own expense. Estimates put the cost of the flu at about $10.4 billion a year.
See "Sick Workers' Dilemma: Stay Home Or Go To Work?", Alisa Chang, NPR Morning Edition, January 15, 2013